Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, written by Katheryn Russel Brown and illustrated by Frank Morrison, recently received a wonderful review from the Read It Real Good blog! Little Melba tells the story of a black female Jazz musician and her quest from childhood to adulthood to become a successful trombone player. Read It Real Good praised Little Melba for its diversity and for Frank Morrison’s “dynamic” art, writing that “His oil paintings embody jazz.” You can read the whole review on the blog, and Little Melba can be purchased online here!
Frederick’s Journey: The Life of Frederick Douglass, written by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by London Ladd, and One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of Gambia, written by Miranda Paul and illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon, both made the New York Public Library’s list of recommendations for 2015! The NYPL recommended one hundred children’s books from 2015, and Frederick’s Journey and One Plastic Bag both made the list for non-fiction children’s books. Congratulations! Frederick’s Journey can be purchased here and One Plastic Bag can be purchased here. Check out all of the NYPL’s recommended books for the year here!
Poems in the Attic, written by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon, made Kirkus’s list of Best Books of 2015 in the Middle School Books category! The beautiful story tells about a little girl’s connection with her family history through poetry and has already won several awards. The full list of winners for the middle school category can be found here, and Poems in the Attic can be purchased here.
The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (BCCB) wrote a great review of Constance Lombardo‘s middle school illustrated novel, Mr. Puffball: Stunt Cat to the Stars, which tells the tale of a young cat’s journey to become a famous actor. The BCCB praised the story’s humor, writing, “Lombardo positively revels in loading on the cinematic clichés and topping them with a generous sprinkle of cat-themed wordplay…and Mr. Puffball’s breathless, straightfaced delivery of one droll line after another adds to the fun.” Lombardo both wrote and illustrated the book, and the illustrations are praised too: “The numerous comical black and white line drawings continue the jokes, with plenty of speech bubbles…and amusing visual details adding another layer of fun.” Mr. Puffball can be ordered here!
Booklist reviewed Sarah Dillard’s Mouse Scouts, an upcoming chapter book about a troop of young mice learning lessons and earning badges in skills such as gardening. Booklist calls Mouse Scouts, the first in the series, a “cheerful series starters,” and praises the illustrations. They conclude, “Readers won’t have to be scouts to enjoy this agreeable tale of friendship.” Mouse Scouts goes on sale this January. You can pre-order a copy here!
Race Car Count, written by Rebecca Kai Dotlich and illustrated by Michael Slack, received praise in a Booklist review! Race Car Count shows the story of a high speed car race to help teach children to count. Booklist writes of Michael Slack’s race car illustrations, “Full of power and personality, each car has its own color, look, and attitude, created with its eyes (in the windshield area) and mouth (the grill).” In all, they call the book, “A fast-paced, fun counting book.” You can read the full review in Booklist’s November 12th issue, and you can check out Race Car Counts here!
